The Dam Issue

Welcome! Want to know more about the Williams Lake dam? You’re in the right place. The Williams Lake dam has a fascinating story because of its long history as a water-power provider to a variety of early local mills and other enterprises . But its claim to fame was that it became the genesis of the Williams Lake Conservation Company.

In the 1700 and 1800’s the mud and rock construction provided water power to various commercial ventures located down stream from the dam, on the North West Arm. By 1968, the dam was deteriorating and a group of local citizens formed the WLCC to act as the responsible entity to oversee the fund raising and government grant necessary to remediate the dam. Through incorporation, the WLCC became the committed stewards of the health and vitality of Williams Lake and its surrounding watershed.

WLCC is proud of its history of stewardship of Williams Lake and its watershed. The materials below illustrate that commitment.

Check out these links:
Slide Presentation – an illustrated overview of the water level issues and the Williams Lake dam, 2022.
Documents – historical records, engineering reports, chronicles of work on the dam.
Media from newspaper articles, TV coverage, radio interviews, social media posts.
The Dam Photo Gallery, photos of the lake taken over the past years.
Williams Lake Dam Videos, taken on the lake and shared on social media posts.
History & Culture – a collection of additional historical research on the Williams Lake area.

The dam featured prominently in our October 2020 Newsletter [click to read].